Marouane Fellaini wants the red devils to put their poor form behind them, starting against Northampton Town in the EFL Cup.

Rewind one week and Manchester United had just been narrowly beaten by high flying Manchester City, a game they could well have drawn after creating some good chances.

But following defeats to Feyenoord in the UEFA Europa League and Watford in the Premier League, the outlook at Old Trafford has altered somewhat.

Goals from Etienne Capoue, Juan Zuniga and Troy Deeney did the damage to Mourinho’s side, who rarely threatened, despite starting with a side which featured Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Wayne Rooney and Paul Pogba.

Midfielder Marouane Fellaini believes the red devils are in a “little crisis” following three successive defeats, and told French TV station SFR Sport: “We can say it is a little crisis because a club like Manchester United cannot lose three games."

He added, “Yes it’s low but we are men and we must stand up together and show ourselves.”

The Belgian, who has looked a reinvigorated player under Mourinho this season, explained how the defeat at Vicarage Road was a “tough moment” but targeted this week’s EFL Cup tie with Northampton Town as an opportunity to get back on track.

He continued: “We must be ready to go again on Wednesday. We need to focus. At the moment our heads are down, but we must stand together and fight and show that we are confident.”

No Northampton slip up

If the red devils are to turn their form around, then nothing less than a convincing win over the League One side will suffice for Jose Mourinho, who has been very publicly criticising his players over the last week.

The United boss will expectedly make major changes to the side that were beaten by the Hornets with fringe players likely to be given an opportunity to gain some minutes.

But make no mistake, if the red devils suffer a fourth consecutive defeat then the pressure on Mourinho’s men looks set to mount to a whole new level.